Dark web
The dark web is the World Wide Web content that exists on darknets: overlay networks that use the Internet but require specific software, configurations, or authorization to access.[1][2][3][4] Through the dark web, private computer networks can communicate and conduct business anonymously without divulging identifying information, such as a user's location.[5][6] The dark web forms a small part of the deep web, the part of the web not indexed by web search engines, although sometimes the term deep web is mistakenly used to refer specifically to the dark web.[7][2][8]
This article is about darknet websites. For the part of the Internet not accessible by traditional web search engines, see Deep web. For the comic book storyline, see Dark Web (Marvel Comics).The darknets which constitute the dark web include small, friend-to-friend networks, as well as large, popular networks such as Tor, Freenet, I2P, and Riffle operated by public organizations and individuals.[6] Users of the dark web refer to the regular web as Clearnet due to its unencrypted nature.[9] The Tor dark web or onionland[10] uses the traffic anonymization technique of onion routing under the network's top-level domain suffix .onion.
Policing the dark web
There have been arguments that the dark web promotes civil liberties, like "free speech, privacy, anonymity".[5] Some prosecutors and government agencies are concerned that it is a haven for criminal activity.[82] The deep and dark web are applications of integral internet features to provide privacy and anonymity. Policing involves targeting specific activities of the private web deemed illegal or subject to internet censorship.
When investigating online suspects, police typically use the IP (Internet Protocol) address of the individual; however, due to Tor browsers creating anonymity, this becomes an impossible tactic.[83] As a result, law enforcement has employed many other tactics in order to identify and arrest those engaging in illegal activity on the dark web.[84] OSINT, or Open Source Intelligence, are data collection tools that legally collect information from public sources.[83] OSINT tools can be dark web specific to help officers find bits of information that would lead them to gaining more knowledge about interactions going on in the dark web.[83]
In 2015 it was announced that Interpol now offers a dedicated dark web training program featuring technical information on Tor, cybersecurity and simulated darknet market takedowns.[85] In October 2013 the UK's National Crime Agency and GCHQ announced the formation of a "Joint Operations Cell" to focus on cybercrime. In November 2015 this team would be tasked with tackling child exploitation on the dark web as well as other cybercrime.[86] In March 2017 the Congressional Research Service released an extensive report on the dark web, noting the changing dynamic of how information is accessed and presented on it; characterized by the unknown, it is of increasing interest to researchers, law enforcement, and policymakers.[87] In August 2017, according to reportage, cybersecurity firms which specialize in monitoring and researching the dark web on behalf of banks and retailers routinely share their findings with the FBI and with other law enforcement agencies "when possible and necessary" regarding illegal content. The Russian-speaking underground offering a crime-as-a-service model is regarded as being particularly robust.[88]
Journalism
Many journalists, alternative news organizations, educators, and researchers are influential in their writing and speaking of the darknet, and making its use clear to the general public.[89][90] Media coverage typically reports on the dark web in two ways; detailing the power and freedom of speech the dark web allows people to express, or more commonly reaffirms the illegality and fear of its contents, such as computer hackers.[70] Many headlines tie the dark web to child pornography with headlines such as, "N.J. man charged with surfing 'Dark Web' to collect nearly 3K images of child porn",[91] along with other illegal activities where news outlets describe it as "a hub for black markets that sell or distribute drugs".[92][70]
Specialist Clearweb news sites such as DeepDotWeb[93][94] and All Things Vice[95] provide news coverage and practical information about dark web sites and services; however, DeepDotWeb was shut down by authorities in 2019.[96] The Hidden Wiki and its mirrors and forks hold some of the largest directories of content at any given time. Traditional media and news channels such as ABC News have also featured articles examining the darknet.[97][98]